By David AFOLABI
Nigerian students will no longer be able to stay longer than necessary in the United States, according to the new Visa regulation.
United States Department of Homeland Security moved on Thursday to tighten the duration of visas for foreign students, cultural exchange visitors, and journalists in the country.
Under the new regulations, the student and exchange visa holders would no longer be able to stay more than four years in the US. The visa for journalists – which currently can last years – would be up to 240 days or, in the case of Chinese nationals, 90 days.
Nigeria ranks high among countries that will be affected more, even though the U.S. has become a haven to send its youths to study and work. Ultimately, most of these students stay back to work and process their stay.
According to the 2024 Open Doors Report on International Education Exchange, in 2023/2024, students’ enrollment at U.S. colleges and universities rose to 20,029 students, marking a 13.5 percent increase from the previous year.
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This places Nigeria as Africa’s leading source of international students and 7th globally.
The report reveals that U.S. colleges and universities host a record-breaking 1,126,690 international students that year, marking an all-time high for international enrollment.
Notably, Nigeria with 20,029 students, reinforces its position as the top sending country from Africa and the 7th largest globally.
The new final rule from the Department of Homeland Security creates a fixed time period for F visas for international students, J visas that allow visitors on cultural exchange programs to work in the U.S., and I visas for members of the media. Those visas are currently available for the duration of the program or employment in the U.S.
The effective date is 60 days from publication in the Federal Register, subject to congressional review.
President Donald Trump, a Republican, kicked off a wide-ranging immigration crackdown after taking office in January 2025. His administration has increased scrutiny of legal immigration, revoking student visas and green cards of university students over their ideological views and stripping legal status from hundreds of thousands of migrants.
The latest action would create new hurdles for international students, exchange workers, and foreign journalists.
